TOKYO, June 5 — Seven Chinese citizens have been arrested in connection with a drug bust reported to be the largest in Japanese history, Tokyo Police said today.

The men, aged between 24 and 40 years old, were arrested on a beach in central Japan on Monday and yesterday for "possession of a large amount” of stimulants, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police spokeswoman told AFP.

She declined to specify what drug was involved or how much had been recovered, but local media described the substance as "stimulants.”

Public broadcaster NHK said police recovered around a ton of the drug, with a street value of ¥60 billion (RM2.3 billion).

Kyodo news agency said it was a record amount for a single drug bust in Japan, coming in at only slightly less than the entire haul of illegal stimulants seized across the country over all of last year.

Some of the men were unloading the drugs from a boat, Kyodo said, adding that the men have denied wrongdoing.

The police reportedly suspect the involvement of a large international smuggling ring, and local residents had reported suspicious boat sightings over several years, prompting the investigation, Kyodo said. — AFP